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What Do Boy Scouts Do?

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Boy Scouts of America.

I haven’t had much experience with Boy Scouts. Have you? I was a part of Girl Scouts for several years when I was younger, but none of my four brothers were involved with scouts growing up. I now have four boys of my own and this was our first experience with The Boy Scouts of America. To tell you the truth, I didn’t know much about what Boy Scouts even did! I thought it was just a group for the boys to do fun activities together and earn badges, but I’ve learned that is not even half of it. If you are like me and don’t have much experience with scouts, here is exactly what The Boy Scouts organization is and their mission:

The Boy Scouts of America is one of the nation’s largest and most prominent values-based youth development organizations. The BSA provides a program for young people that builds character, trains them in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and develops personal fitness.
For over a century, the BSA has helped build the future leaders of this country by combining educational activities and lifelong values with fun. The Boy Scouts of America believes — and, through over a century of experience, knows — that helping youth is a key to building a more conscientious, responsible, and productive society.

Last month, my youngest son and I had the opportunity to attend the 2015 Cub Scout Fun Day at Camp Mitigwa, which is about thirty minutes from our home here in Iowa. Cub Scouts are for ages 7-10 years old or grades 1-5.

James and I arrived at Camp Mitigwa, a scenic 450 acre land full of lush trees and rolling hills and plenty of space to canoe, fish, camp and explore. The scout reservation is open year round, but in the summers they offer week-long summer camp experiences.

The 2015 Cub Scout Fun Day was an opportunity for Cub Scouts and their families to start the Cub Scout year off with a day of fun outdoor activities. For us, it was a glimpse into what Cub Scout life is like!

First, we went to a craft station where James was able to work with leather and string to build a canoe. Scouts don’t just camp, build fires and go fishing, if that’s the picture you’ve had in your mind! Scouts learn new skills through different activities to advance through the ranks. Each activity gets more challenging to ultimately help the scouts learn new, important life skills. Team work, problem solving, safety awareness and creativity are just a few skills that a certain activity might involve.

Next, we moved on to the crosscut saw station where James was able to work with an older scout to safely saw a branch. This was one of his favorite activities and he was able to have his portion of the branch branded with BSA for a souvenir.

Fishing is one of our boys’ favorite activities, so James was eager to get down to the water. Scouts can achieve the Fishing, Fly-Fishing, and Fish and Wildlife Management merit badges. This is a big draw for my boys who enjoy long days of fishing with their dad. I love how Boy Scouts offers such a wide range of activities. Some of the activities I already know my boys love, but others are totally new to them and that is so important in building new skills.

The rest of the day included archery, bb guns and slingshots and even rocket launching! We built model rockets and watched them launch high into the sky.

I was worn out by the end of the day! There were so many activities, but that was just a glimpse into what Scout life is like! Scout life isn’t just fun and active, it also helps to teach boys courage, compassion, citizenship, a positive attitude, cooperation, resourcefulness, honesty and so much more. In one sentence, I would describe Cub Scouts as a time of exploration, building friendships and learning important skills.

When you are signing up for activities, I encourage you to check out your local Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts. You can search here for scouting units in your area. You won’t regret it!

Comments

There’s nothing more gratifying than seeing the smiles when a child learns a new skill and has fun doing it. A reason why Boy Scouts is such a wonderful program. This program gives you, as parents, an opportunity to be able to spend time and/or to learn these life skills along with your son at outings. I’m a grandma who was a leader in girl scout with my daughters plus 7 years with my granddaughter. I’m currently and have been for the past 4 yrs a cub scout leader for my grandson. I treasure the time I was able to spend, learn and watch these kids grow in the right direction. Thanks to the scouting way.

This all looks so fun! We were involved with Girl Scouts and it was so great for the girls. I know my co-leader was also involved with Boy Scouts and it’s amazing all they do and thecommitment they place on their program (ensuring a quality experience for all).

My husband is one of five boys growing up and none had any boyscout experience. I will have to pass this interesting article along to their families, now that we have all grown up.
There is a new generation popping up in my family now.

Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts are wonderful organizations. My daughter was in a troop for a year and loved it, unfortunately we just didn’t have the time to devote to it. I’m hoping my son will be able to do it when he’s old enough.

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Meet the Author

Emily is a busy mom of five kids, four of whom came to the family through international adoption. She is a big believer that you can live with purpose in every busy day. Join us in the journey to live purposeful, intentional lives in the midst of all the craziness.

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